By Dan Solomon
Publisher
The sport of Women’s Bodybuilding has endured its share of challenges over the years, but it might be hard to top what just went down in Arizona. Only a few short weeks before the 4th Annual Rising Phoenix World Bodybuilding Championships, a monsoon plowed through the area, making its way to Scottsdale, home of the Talking Stick Resort, the same venue that was set to host the Wings of Strength produced event the weekend of September 7th.
The storm left behind a trail of destruction. With wind gusts of more than 60mph, damages were measured in the millions; downed power lines and trees were only the beginning. The monsoon tried its hardest to take aim at Women’s Bodybuilding when it caused enough damage to shut down the Talking Stick Resort, putting this year’s event in jeopardy.
The Wings of Strength Team to the Rescue!
With just over two weeks until the event, Co-Promoter and sponsor Jake Wood and his team sprang into action. While most promoters would’ve gone into full panic mode, Jake kept his cool and found a new venue for his IFBB Pro sanctioned event. “I stayed awake for 24 straight hours searching for a new home for the production. These athletes work so hard to prepare for this competition and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of our event, not even Mother Nature.” Wood continues “Our team has worked so hard to turn the Rising Phoenix into a world class event. The new venue is beautiful, a great location to continue a great tradition. The show must go on.” 
The new location is the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, located in Chandler Arizona just 15 miles from Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport. An ideal backdrop for photo shoots and a well suited staging and theater area to host an event that features all women’s divisions, including pro fitness, figure, physique and bikini – along with the bodybuilding main event. With $100,000 in prize money and a brand new Corvette up for grabs, the 2018 Rising Phoenix is looking like another big time event. And thanks to a resourceful and dedicated team of promoters and event planners, the show will go on.
For more information on the transition to the new hotel, visit the official event website (Updates coming soon).
The Rising Phoenix World Championships are presented by Wings of Strength in conjunction with Tim Gardner Productions.
Flashback Video: Dan Welcomes Crowd at the 2017 Rising Phoenix
Dan Solomon has earned a reputation as a leader in the world of fitness & bodybuilding publishing. Having conducted many of the industry’s most wide reaching interviews, Dan served annually as host and lead commentator for the Mr. Olympia contest, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, also having appeared as moderator at the Olympia Press Conference. In 2018 Dan was named Chief Olympia Officer by American Media to oversee the Olympia brand and its showcase event held annually in Las Vegas. Additional Credits: Co-Executive Producer for the movie BIGGER, The Story of Joe Weider, Creator of the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly radio show (2005), a first of its kind program, for which he was awarded the IFBB’s Lifetime Achievement Medal by co-founder Ben Weider. Prior to creating Digital Muscle, served as Senior Features Editor at Muscular Development Magazine and has worked with many of the top brands in both nutrition and media. Dan’s favorite thing to talk about? Baseball.
